Drum Island, Big Horn Village, Dalton's residence.
After placing the unconscious Nami on the bed and lighting the stove, the crackling firewood burned fiercely in the flames. Dalton gazed at the bright red firelight and began explaining to the Straw Hats why the people here hated pirates so much.
"A pirate crew with only five people? Blackbeard?" Sherlock blinked in surprise. This was the second time he'd heard that name. He hadn't expected this pirate to not only attack his fellow pirates but also openly assault a nation affiliated with the World Government. Was he trying to make headline news?
From the battle with Haska in Little Garden and the wounds Zoro had sustained, Sherlock could clearly gauge the strength of the Hungry Wolf Pirates. Yet they had been utterly crushed by Blackbeard's five-man crew, barely escaping with just their flagship. They were even scared enough to plan fleeing the Grand Line. That showed just how powerful Blackbeard's group was.
"Is there anything special about the Drum Kingdom?" Sherlock asked Dalton. He was convinced Blackbeard had some hidden motive for doing this.
Dalton shook his head. "The Drum Kingdom is a land of snow. Aside from its advanced medical techniques, there's nothing particularly standout about it. And…"
"When Valpo realized he couldn't beat them, he immediately took Doctor 20 and his closest confidants and fled out to sea."
At this, Dalton gritted his teeth hard, his voice bitter. "That king just abandoned his own country like that and ran faster than anyone."
"Is that really something a nation's ruler should do?!" Vivi's face twisted in anger as she couldn't hold back a shout. By now, she had fully remembered who that short, fat guy was.
"Vivi…" Sanji and Sherlock exchanged a glance, then thought of Vivi's identity and the current situation in Alabasta, letting it go.
Princess Vivi, raised under her father's direct guidance, utterly despised irresponsible tyrants like Valpo.
Dalton was a bit surprised by Vivi's reaction. He glanced at her aquamarine ponytail and put on a puzzled expression.
"Um… Have we met somewhere before?"
(Hey, hey, old man, your pickup line is way too cliché…) The lovestruck cook mentally roasted him.
"Huh? No way, this is my first time on Drum Island," Vivi hurriedly replied. Her current identity was top secret.
"Is that so…" Dalton eyed Vivi suspiciously, then turned back to the group. "After Valpo fled, his castle was left empty. It was then occupied by that 'witch,' Dr. Kureha."
"She should be at the top of that mountain right now." He pointed out the window.
Everyone followed Dalton's finger and looked outside—but instead of a distant mountain, they saw two monster heads piled up from snow!
"This is the snow monster 'Shirola'!"
"I'm the 'Super Snowman'!"
"I'm gonna kick these two idiots to death!!" Sanji stormed outside with a dark expression.
Sherlock calmly adjusted his glasses, utterly exasperated in his heart by the goofy antics of Usopp and Luffy.
On the Going Merry.
"This is so boring…" The green-haired swordsman left to guard the ship exhaled a puff of white breath and gazed up at the sky. Snowflakes fell in a flurry, beautiful against the vast expanse. He stepped onto the deck.
"In this freezing, snowy weather, how about a mind-clearing winter swim to purge distractions!" Zoro grinned, then swiftly stripped off his clothes. Bare-chested, the long scar across his torso stood out starkly.
Splash! Without hesitation, Zoro leaped into the water.
"Gah…?!?!" Carue, bundled in a cotton coat and still shivering uncontrollably, was stunned by the green-haired swordsman's insane stunt. You humans really know how to play…
In the icy wilderness, a large blanket hovered half a meter above the snow, skimming rapidly over the white landscape. The breakneck speed thrilled the straw-hatted kid sitting at the front of the flying carpet.
"So, I could've taken Nami to the doctor alone. Why'd you two have to tag along?" Sherlock asked, cross-legged on the carpet, controlling it with his feet while splitting his attention to the other two passengers.
Mirror Fusion: Magic Carpet.
This was Sherlock's new discovery with his ability. By fusing the mirror image of an ordinary blanket four times, he'd upgraded it into a mode of transportation straight out of fantasy tales.
Turning the mundane into the miraculous, transcending its original limitations and becoming something legendary!
The blanket was large enough that even lying down, three or four people would have plenty of room.
Unfortunately, this magic carpet could only hover off the ground—it couldn't actually fly. Otherwise, Sherlock would've just flown Nami straight there.
To make it fly, Sherlock figured he'd need at least five mirror fusions.
"Cut the nagging! I have to be the first one to feed Nami-san my love-filled sickbed meal the moment she wakes up!" The lovestruck cook sat behind Sherlock, his face a total piggish leer. "That way, Nami-san will definitely fall for me!"
Sherlock blinked, glancing at the navigator curled up in his arms. He almost mentioned feeding her something the night before last but thought better of it and stayed silent.
"Yahoo! Sherlock, can you go any faster?" Luffy pressed down his straw hat, buzzing with excitement.
"This is already the limit." Sherlock maneuvered the carpet swiftly through the snow-laden forest. "If you two jumped off to lighten the load, maybe it'd go quicker."
"Hey, hey, Sherlock, you'd better speed up…" Sanji patted Sherlock's shoulder. "Some weird things are catching up behind us."
Through his transmission mirror, Sherlock spotted a massive pack of ferocious-looking monsters trailing them without him noticing. They resembled oversized polar bears but with rabbit heads—adorable bunny ears paired with razor-sharp teeth for maximum dissonance.
And these creatures moved incredibly fast over the snow, gradually closing in.
"These must be the lapins Dalton mentioned." Sherlock frowned, then turned to Luffy and Sanji. "One of you go lure them away. I can't use any other abilities right now." Controlling a fused mirror image was extremely draining.
"Leave it to me!"
Luffy stood up against the biting wind. "You two absolutely have to get Nami to that doctor!"
"I'll catch up right away!"
With that, the idiot captain flashed a carefree grin, then leaped off the magic carpet in a grand jump, landing gracefully.
"Gum-Gum… Gatling Gun!" Countless fist shadows rained down on the lead lapin like a storm, making it howl in pain. Luffy successfully drew the aggro of the carnivorous rabbits.
"Luffy…"
Sanji fell silent, listening to the fading sounds of intense fighting.
Sherlock carried Sanji and the delirious Nami onward. The towering mountain, like a giant chimney, slowly grew larger in their view.
But just as the two started to relax, a rumbling roar erupted from ahead. As the noise grew, even hovering above the snow, they felt everything around them trembling slightly—and it intensified.
(This… It can't be!)
A terrible premonition rose in Sherlock's heart.
BOOM! A thunderous explosion. Endless snow, mixed with shattered rocks and broken trees, surged down from the mountaintop like an overwhelming avalanche. Several lapins rode the debris like surfers on a raging sea of snow, taunting Sherlock and the others. Clearly, these carnivorous rabbits had triggered the avalanche.
Damn these rabbits—they're such a pain!
In an instant, the surging wall of snow loomed before them, the deafening roar shaking their eardrums.
Staring at the sky-blotting mass of snow and feeling nature's earth-shaking might, Sherlock's pupils contracted sharply.
"Damn it, Sherlock, you absolutely have to get Nami-san to the doctor!"
"Hey, Sanji! You…" Sherlock twisted around in shock, trying to stop him, but Sanji was faster.
"Air Force… Powered Fly Kick!"
Sanji flipped beneath the carpet and delivered a powerful shot. With his skillful force, the magic carpet rocketed upward dozens of meters like a missile, clearing the avalanche entirely.
Seeing the carpet carrying Nami out of danger, Sanji hit the ground and gave Sherlock a faint smile.
"Don't forget—when it comes to ladies, you gotta be gentle…" With that, the merciless snow swallowed him whole.
"You idiot…"
Sherlock's mind reeled, cracks even forming on the magic carpet mirror beneath him. Panicked, he quickly steadied his focus.
At that moment, a faint pain prickled at his brow, like a tiny bug crawling slowly inside—extremely uncomfortable.
(Damn, mental drain too high? I'm already at my limit just getting here. Mirror fusion burns through energy way too fast…)
(Gotta speed up!)
Sherlock's face turned ashen as he gritted his teeth, then guided the carpet to descend slowly. Without looking back, he pressed forward—faster than before by a third.
At the mountain's base, Sherlock charged the carpet straight into the sheer rock wall without slowing.
A miraculous sight unfolded.
The magic carpet, carrying Sherlock and Nami, completely ignored gravity, racing straight up the icy stone wall at undiminished speed.
This was the magic carpet's power—freeing the user from gravity's bonds, allowing flat travel in any direction.
(Damn, the higher we go, the stronger the wind gets.)
———Mirror Reflection!
With a thought, ripples spread through the air around Sherlock and Nami, deflecting the swirling snow and biting wind less than a meter away.
But this only worsened Sherlock's headache. The piercing pain beaded his forehead with sweat.
The mountain stood about 5,000 feet tall—at the carpet's speed, it should've been instantaneous, but to Sherlock, it dragged on endlessly.
Whoosh!
The "path" below vanished. The carpet shot upward with Sherlock and Nami, flipping ninety degrees midair before stabilizing at the summit.
Sherlock held the quilt-wrapped Nami tightly, looking up at the castle before him. The majestic white structure gleamed brilliantly under the sun, breathtakingly beautiful.
"What a magnificent castle…" Sherlock let out a long breath, dismissing the carpet, then gently set Nami down on the snow.
"Is the doctor here? Dr. Kureha… Uh, what's this thing? A tanuki?"
One of the castle's great doors stood open. In the center, a cute little creature resembling a tanuki peeked from behind it, staring in shock at the uninvited Sherlock.
(Is this guy hiding on the wrong side?)
Sherlock's expression turned odd as he adjusted his glasses. He started to speak, but suddenly everything went black. Utterly spent, he collapsed.
In his final moment of consciousness, Sherlock vaguely heard the blue-nosed tanuki let out a startled cry.
(This thing… can talk?!)
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze